Fire Chapter 2: The Battle of Chameleon Bay
by Wren Sharpbeak
Summary: Follow up to 'The War Barge'. The gang must try to take back Ba Sing Se while Aang and Zuko come to terms with their respective destinies.
1. Ch 1 Looking

**Disclaimer:** the characters and places in the following work of fan-fiction are the intellectual property of Nickelodeon and, as such, they reserve the right to remove this story at their sole discretion.

Momo flew out over the camp, looking for something to do or…something to eat. After Zuko's surprise gift to the Earth King earlier that morning, nearly everyone had returned to the rocky shores of Chameleon Bay, while the remains of the useless ice decoys out in the cove gave off small wisps of steam as they slowly sank, tilting on their sides in the sunlight. The Earth King and Hakoda were still on the war barge, discussing ways to take back Ba Sing Se from Azula. The Dai Li were making more comprehensive and permanent repairs to the engine and most of the water tribesmen had gone out hunting food for the considerably larger assembly. Appa was being measured by a handful of water tribesmen for a new saddle while Katara and Sokka were in one of the tents arguing over its design. Meanwhile, Toph sat on the rocks near the bluff 'watching' Aang get his first fire-bending lesson from Iroh.

The flying lemur spotted the blind earth bender sitting on the rocks. She was nice, and he knew that if she had food, she would surely give him some. He landed next to her, having learned before not to land _on_ her if she wasn't expecting him, then ran up her arm and tugged at her mouth.

"Sorry, Momo, I don't have anything to eat." As if to emphasize this, she held up her empty hands, which the little lemur grabbed expectantly, one after the other, searching both sides of each for a treat. Seeing nothing there, he chirped in disappointment and flew away. Toph grunted with a grin, "He's as bad as Sokka."

Scanning the beach, Momo spotted Aang and Iroh next, and decided to try his luck there. Both of them were moving around in what looked like a dance. When Momo decided to join in, the two just laughed, Iroh's boisterous guffaw a sharp contrast to Aang's airy chimes of laughter.

"He's a very entertaining creature," the old man chuckled.

Aang giggled in reply, "He's probably just hoping we'll give him something to eat. Go on, Momo, no food here," he said, still grinning, "Try looking in the tents."

Dropping his ears with a sad purr, he flew off yet again. Only one tent was actually open and he could see Sokka and Katara inside. Maybe they had food, although he figured he'd likely have to fight Sokka for it. Landing within, he saw a stack of what looked like pale, square-shaped leaves covered in black lines. Thinking they might be edible, he tried one, only to have both teens shout at him as he dashed back out of the tent. He made a mental note that the leaves were not food…they tasted _awful_.

Circling the campsite again, he finally landed on top of one of the tents to consider where he should try next. Then he caught the scent of something…tasty. He looked around to find the source of the smell only to discover it was below him. Running over to the side, he dropped his head over the edge and poked his face in. There sat the other recent addition to the group, the boy with the scar, picking absently at a half-eaten plate of food.

Momo wasn't quite sure how to approach this one for a treat. He knew that Sokka didn't trust him, but that Toph did. Katara seemed to tolerate him, and Aang was careful around him yet still friendly toward him nonetheless. He had joined with the old man, whom Momo definitely liked, so he couldn't be _that_ bad. Thus, summoning his courage, he dropped into the tent and waited to be noticed.

The young fire bender looked up at the new arrival, momentarily startled. But seeing no threat, he went back to poking the chopsticks at his food without any real interest in it. The little lemur watched quietly for a moment, then purred inquisitively. Zuko merely sighed.

"Help yourself, I'm not very hungry." And he pushed the plate toward Momo.

Momo shoved the food into his mouth, emptying the plate in a matter of moments. With his little belly finally full, the lemur looked up and chirped his thanks, receiving a rare, slightly crooked, but genuine smile from the young man. Momo of course had no idea what an uncommon privilege had just been bestowed on him, so he thought nothing as he tossed back one last parting purr before taking to the sky once more.

He spotted Appa surrounded by water tribesmen, the lot of them moving over and about him with lengths of rope that were knotted at regular intervals. At first, he thought his big shaggy friend might be in danger, and he swooped down to help scare off the 'attackers'. This got him an annoyed groan from Appa, who told him in no uncertain terms to leave the men alone; they were measuring him for a new saddle. Determining that this would be boring, Momo flew away again. With nothing to do at the camp, he decided to fly up the river and just enjoy the morning breeze.

He flew quite a ways from the harbor, careful to keep the river in sight. It was a nice, sunny day and the wind felt pleasantly cool as it sifted through his fur. Without a care in the world, he banked on the currents to head back, completely oblivious to the dark shape looming above him, lowering on silent wings and intent on having a morning snack of its own.


	2. Ch 2 Lessons

Zuko came out of the tent and took in the scene around him. Aang was working up a sweat in the mid-morning sun as he moved through the basic forms of fire bending under Iroh's watchful eye. There was no fire involved, merely the movements, but even those were giving him some difficulty. A short distance beyond, Toph sat with her back against the cliff, her hands planted firmly on the ground. It took Zuko a moment to realize she was 'watching' Aang practice. Spotting Toph's frown he walked over and sat down next to her, observing the young Avatar. It became apparent what she was scowling about and he voiced, almost absently, what was wrong with scene before them.

"He's too light on his feet."

"Tell me about it," Toph snorted. "I thought his earth bending lessons might have broken him of that, but it's as though he just forgot everything I taught him. I mean, I'm a _blind earth bender_ and even _I_ can tell he's doing it wrong." Sensing Zuko's curiosity at her statement, she continued. "The one thing earth and fire bending have in common is that the forms are both strong and deliberate. But he's not being either right now. He's still moving like an air bender." She let out a frustrated breath. Zuko frowned.

"I suppose I should go say something since Uncle doesn't seem to be correcting him," he muttered, not bothering to hide his annoyance at the observation.

"It couldn't hurt," grumbled Toph.

With an irritated sigh, Zuko rose to his feet and headed over to his uncle. A small voice in his head tried to suggest that he should not be bothered with this: that the Avatar's fire bending education was none of his concern, but he shook the thought away. It wasn't as though he had anything better to do. Plus, if Aang was going to succeed in his destiny and thereby help Zuko claim what was rightfully his, then making sure the young Avatar mastered all the elements most certainly _was_ his business. He stood there for a moment, still watching Aang move carelessly through the basic forms before turning to the older fire bender.

"He's doing it wrong," he said low enough not to be overheard. Iroh merely nodded thoughtfully and Zuko scowled, "Well aren't you going to correct him?"

"It's his first lesson, Zuko," Iroh answered dismissively. "If he gets it wrong for a while, there's no harm done." At this, Zuko's eyes narrowed, flickering with disapproval. Seeing his nephew's irritation, Iroh merely smiled faintly in amusement. "Perhaps you would like to show him? Seeing an excellent example might improve his stances."

Zuko crossed his arms as he considered this for a moment. His uncle's thinly veiled compliment was not lost on him, nor was the obvious fact that Iroh wanted to try and force, however innocently, some form of interaction between the two youths. He almost said as much but realizing it was a pointless argument, simply glared.

"You were _never_ this easy on me," he growled accusingly. And with that, he dropped his arms to his sides and strode over to the Avatar while Iroh chuckled smugly and went to prepare a pot of tea.

* * *

"Stop," said Zuko, almost pleadingly to Aang as he approached the young air bender.

"Hey, Zuko!" Aang chirped as he dropped from his last form and looked up at his new ally.

"You're embarrassing to watch," the ex-prince stated, but not unkindly.

"Oh," answered Aang, crestfallen, "am I really that bad?"

Zuko only raised his eyebrow, the sarcastic expression on his face saying more than words ever could. Taking a deep breath and repressing the urge to say something harsh, he began to move slowly through the basic fire bending forms without conjuring any flames and speaking as he did so, his voice following the cadence of his motions.

"Fire bending requires complete and absolute control, not just when using flames but of the entire body as well. And while power comes from the breath, not the muscle, you must still be deliberate in all of your movements. You must root yourself to the earth or your aim will go wild." As he said all this, Zuko moved with tense purpose, ending each punch and jab as though striking invisible barriers while Aang observed in silence. As he stood from his last stance, Zuko turned to Aang.

"Now you try; slowly and with precision."

With a deep breath, Aang did as he was instructed and went through the forms, this time almost mimicking Zuko's example perfectly. Circling him critically, Zuko nodded in satisfaction.

"Again."

As Aang began the exercise once more, Zuko expanded on the lesson.

"End the moves with force and finality. Imagine you are hitting something solid or," he paused for a moment and glanced at Toph who was still 'watching', taking sudden inspiration from her earlier comment, "moving stone."

At this, Aang blinked for a moment in surprise, faltering in his movements. He looked quizzically at Zuko and asked, "Like earth bending?"

"Mm-hmm," Zuko nodded and Aang continued; this time flawlessly.

"Better. Now do it again, but faster this time. Remember your breathing, and feel your own energy coursing through your limbs as you move them. Good," Zuko said approvingly as Aang finished, "now again, and keep repeating it."

Zuko watched Aang as he repeatedly went through his stances and could not help but feel some small amount of pride at how quickly the young student had improved with so little instruction. As a pleased smile barely graced his lips, he was suddenly surprised to realize that he actually _enjoyed_ teaching the boy, much as he had enjoyed teaching a slightly younger boy only a couple of months ago. His own sibling had never required any help from him, so getting the chance to do something so 'brotherly' was a very nice sensation and, until now, he never realized how badly he wanted, no…_needed,_ to feel that.

As the sounds of a playful argument between the nearby water tribe siblings reached his ears, he began to wonder if perhaps that was what bothered him most about Azula. There was never any closeness between them and their rivalry was nothing short of hatred for each other. She most certainly despised him, but as cruel as she was, he had always wished he could have been someone she looked up to and respected, that she could have been someone who he could teach and protect. Glancing over at the partially open tent where Katara and Sokka were hunched over a diagram and finally coming to an agreement about the new saddle, he could tell that even though they often argued with each other there was still a bond of love between them; and he envied that.

He was still lost in his thoughts when Katara finally stood up to leave the tent. Turning his attention back to his pupil, he noticed too late that the young Avatar, having fallen into an sort of trance as he worked through his basic forms, was inadvertently producing a small jet of flame on his latest kick and it was heading straight for an unsuspecting Katara.

Zuko's eyes widened, but before he could shout a warning, or even react, Katara noticed her impending danger and ducked down, allowing the flare to pass harmlessly over her head and igniting the tent instead. Without missing a beat she flicked open her water pouch and using a small water whip, doused the fire, leaving almost no trace of the burn beyond a slight discoloration of the fabric.

Aang had felt the flame leave his foot, and immediately snapped from his almost meditative state in time to see her quick reactions. But instead of being impressed by her timely reflexes, he stared in horror as he realized he had almost burned her…again.

"Aang," Katara called happily, completely un-phased by the near accident in her excitement at what she considered a successful first step to mastering fire bending, "you made fire!" And she grinned.

But Aang wasn't smiling. He had gone completely pale, and seeing this she realized what was wrong. She hurried toward him, intent on letting him know that no harm was done. But instead, he turned away from her, walked over to his staff, opened it up to make his glider, and looked at Zuko.

"I'm done," he stated quietly. And with that, he took to the air as Katara came up behind him, reaching out to the obviously distressed boy. She watched helplessly as he flew away to the top of the bluff. Her arm fell uselessly to her side and she hung her head, a look of sadness and defeat etched on her face.

Iroh and Zuko looked at each other, then at Katara, knowing that some unknown but important piece of history had just passed between her and Aang. They said nothing as she sighed heavily and walked off to the waters edge to sit down on some rocks jutting a few yards out into the bay. Walking over to Zuko, Iroh exchanged glances with his nephew again before looking over at Katara. Finally, the old fire bender spoke up.

"I'll go talk to the Avatar; you see what you can find out from the girl."

"Uncle, I don't really think that's a good idea."

But Iroh merely shot him look that said quite plainly that there was no arguing the matter. Zuko growled to himself and headed over to where Katara had sat down while Iroh climbed the narrow trail up the bluff, with a teapot and some cups in hand, to find his pupil.

* * *

Aang sat down on the top of the rocky ridge and sighed in frustration. He thought he was past this. He _had_ gotten past it when he was with Guru Patik. But here he was with that same sense of shame and he could almost feel the chakra in his stomach snapping shut. He didn't even look up as Iroh made it to the top of the hill and sat down heavily next to him, slightly out of breath.

"That was more of a climb than I expected," he said cheerfully. "I must be getting old." There was no reply from the boy, so he continued. "I brought a pot of tea, would you care for some?"

Aang shook his head; he didn't feel like having any tea at the moment. Instead, he looked down at his feet and spoke softly.

"I'm sorry I ran off…" but he stopped, realizing he had no good explanation for his actions.

"It's understandable," said Iroh lightly, much to Aang's surprise. "Fire can be a terrifying element to work with. It certainly gave me a fright when I was first learning."

"Really?" asked Aang with unmasked curiosity.

"Oh yes," Iroh replied merrily. "I remember being foolish enough to practice in my room once when I was a boy. I set the curtains _and_ the bed on fire," and his belly shook with laughter. "The whole palace was in an uproar!" At this Aang allowed a small grin slip onto his face, but then it faded just as quickly.

"Was anyone hurt?" he frowned.

"No, no," Iroh chuckled. "But it gave me quite the scare, and I was in a lot of trouble for it," he answered, still grinning at the memory. Sobering, he continued, "However, the good thing about making mistakes is that you are given the opportunity to learn from them." He paused for a moment then asked, "What did you learn today?"

Aang sighed wretchedly before answering.

"That I'm not ready for this. I can't control fire…and people get hurt when I try," Aang answered, his voice filled with disgrace.

"No one was hurt today," the old general reminded him quietly as he took a sip of tea. "But then, you aren't talking about today, are you?"

Aang shook his head. He knew he should tell his new sifu about his disastrous lessons with Jeong-Jeong, but he just couldn't. Despite his silence, however, the old fire bender seemed to understand the problem.

"One can not live in fear of the past, nor can he hold back because of the possibilities of the future. Much of what you have learned in mastering the other elements can help you as you learn to bend fire."

"But…how?" asked Aang, upset and confused. "Fire is so…_different_. The flame I made today came out of _nowhere_. I wasn't even trying to _make_ fire, it just…happened. And once it was there…I couldn't stop it." He finished quietly and hung his head again.

"Learning to create fire is a surprisingly easy thing to do," Iroh remarked, "The bender needs only to draw on his own emotions to call it forth. But most fire benders stop short of true mastery because they fail to learn one very important lesson." Seeing that he had the young Avatar's attention again, the retired general nursed a small flame in his hand. He sent the flicker of fire into some dry grass nearby, the spark growing quickly into a small blaze as Iroh resumed talking.

"One of the greatest feats of bending fire is not the ability to summon the flame," here he paused, looking at the rapidly spreading fire,"but to _snuff it out_ as well," and emphasized the point with a flick of his wrist, sucking the small blaze back to his hand where it vanished without so much as a wisp of smoke. Seeing the look of surprise and admiration on the young boy's face, Iroh smiled and began pouring tea into the second cup he had brought as he spoke again.

"Given what your destiny entails, perhaps this might be a better thing for you to learn first. Unlike a pure fire bender, you have the wisdom and sense of balance to see the importance of this technique and I think you could master it much more easily than anyone else." At last, Aang's countenance was graced with a genuine smile as he took the cup Iroh offered.

"I think I'd like that," he said confidently, and suddenly he felt his energy flow once more as the fire chakra reopened.


	3. Ch 3 Explanations

Katara turned only slightly as she heard footfalls behind her, and wasn't at all happy when she recognized who was there.

"Go away," she murmured without conviction as she looked back out at the ocean. But as much as she hated to admit it, the presence of another person, even if it _was_ Zuko, gave her some small comfort. Plus, she had promised Aang she would give him a chance. So as soon as she said the words, she wished she hadn't.

Zuko didn't want to be there in the first place, so he didn't need to be told twice to leave. He'd simply tell his uncle she had refused to talk to him, and in all honesty he was relieved that he would be spared a conversation with her. Turning on his heel to do as she had asked, he therefore almost winced when she spoke again.

"This is my fault," she said sadly, realizing that telling him was better than bottling her emotions. _Besides_, she thought, _he deserves at least _some_ explanation_.

Somewhat annoyed that he wasn't going to be let off the hook so easily now that she'd had a sudden change of mind but puzzled nonetheless at what she might say, Zuko turned and looked over his shoulder at her with his uninjured eye. She was still sitting on the rocks, staring out over the water. He waited there unmoving until she continued.

"Aang is afraid to bend fire…because of me."

Resigning himself to the inevitable, Zuko turned around and walked back over to where she sat, hoping as he did so that he'd be able to get the information he came for without having to talk much. He sat down to her right, saying nothing and looking straight ahead. He still felt extremely uncomfortable around her; more so than any other person of the Avatar's group. And while she seemed to be very forgiving of all he had done, or perhaps _because_ of it, he could not help but feel overwhelmed by guilt and regret every time he was near her. He knew he didn't deserve her kindness, and that fact just made things worse. So he merely sat there and waited for her to say something else. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long.

"Aang tried fire bending once before several months ago. He wasn't careful and…he burned me. He burned my hands," and she held them up in front of her briefly as if to illustrate the point. "Of course, that's how I learned I had healing abilities, but Aang still swore he'd never bend fire again." At this, she sighed heavily before continuing.

"I know he has to learn it, and…I _want_ him to. But…I'm not sure he can. It's just not in his nature to be so…" she stopped herself short, suddenly remembering whom she was talking to and what she had almost said. She swallowed hard.

"To be so what?" Zuko asked evenly, almost coldly, somehow suspecting what was on her mind. Her voice trembled when she answered.

"…Ruthless." And she dropped her head almost choking on the word.

"I see," replied Zuko with a quiet tone that sounded almost dangerous for its lack of emotion. Katara cringed inwardly, but when he continued, his voice soft and sad.

"Not all fire benders are like that," he said looking toward her.

Astonished, she turned her head to return his gaze and, seeing quite plainly the shame and sadness on his face, she immediately felt terrible for what she had said. He was right, and she knew it. His uncle most certainly was not a ruthless man: he was kind and gentle, quick to laugh, and full of wisdom. She almost forgot sometimes that he was a fire bender because of this. And even Zuko, who had certainly been relentless in his pursuit of Aang, had never actually _harmed_ any of them, despite how often he'd had the chance.

"You're right. I'm sorry," she said as they looked away from each other. But once again, she was shocked to hear what the exiled prince said next.

"Don't be. While not all fire benders are like that, there are still enough of them who are."

Turning to look at him again, all she could see of his face was the scar. She saw it now as if for the first time, realizing with painful clarity that only fire could have caused such a mark. Plucking up her courage, she asked about it.

"How did you get that scar?" she said, only barely above a whisper, her voice laced with curiosity but filled with compassion.

Suddenly all the softness left his eyes and he stiffened. When he spoke, his voice was hard and cold.

"That's none of your concern." And with that, he stood up abruptly. He'd gotten what his uncle asked him to, and had no intention of carrying the discussion further. She hurried to her feet as he turned to leave and was about to apologize when something caught her eye.

"Zuko!" She said urgently. He spun on his heel with a snarl.

"I told you it's none…" but he stopped short when he noticed she wasn't even looking at him, her eyes instead fixed on the air above them. Confused, he glanced up to see what had her attention, and spotted something that looked like a dark snowflake drifting through the air along with many others beyond it. He followed it down until his gaze was even with hers, and he saw an unmistakable look of horror on her face as their eyes locked.

Without a word, she breezed past him, heading across the beach toward the bluff and calling Sokka's name as she did so. The boy poked his head out of the tent and looked at his sister. But all she said was to bring a spyglass as she started the trek up the hill. Sokka looked over at Zuko who merely shrugged in reply with a puzzled look on his face as he hastened to catch up to Katara. The young water tribe warrior felt a sense of dread settle over him as he grabbed a spyglass and rushed after them.

Toph felt the sudden tension in her companions and she rose to her feet when Sokka approached.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," he replied with a worried tone and he started up the path to the top of the cliff, a determined Toph close on his heels.

Sokka was only about halfway up the hill when he finally caught sight of what was drifting on the wind. He had seen this before and he was well aware that there were only two things that could cause it. _Please don't let it be,_ he thought fervently. But deep down, he knew better. At this point, it wasn't a question of _what_ it was, but how _bad_ it was. He quickened his pace.

* * *

Aang sipped his cup of tea, comfortably sitting with the old man and enjoying the hot beverage.

"So what kind of tea is this anyway? It's really good."

"Jasmine and ginseng," Iroh replied with a proud grin, "my own recipe."

Aang was about to compliment him again, when Katara suddenly appeared at the top of the cliff. Hopping joyfully to his feet, he opened his mouth to say hello and let her know that he was feeling better, but the words died in his throat when he saw the anxious expression on her face. Something was wrong and it had nothing to do with his fire bending.

"Katara, what's the…" he started, but the arrival of Zuko, Sokka, and Toph interrupted him.

Katara was now looking out at the water, her eyes desperately searching for what she knew was lurking on the horizon. At last, she spotted them, a cluster of tiny specks barely visible along the line where the ocean met the sky. Sokka saw them too, only much more clearly through the lens of the spyglass. His face paled as his arm dropped to his side. Zuko, still unsure of what was going on, took the spyglass from the water tribe boy's now slack grip, and held it up to his eye to see. _Now I understand,_ he thought as a chill shuddered down his spine.

"Can someone please tell me what is going on?" asked a confused Toph.

"Yes," agreed Iroh, "what are we looking at?" although something told him he wasn't going to like the answer. He glanced at his nephew expectantly as Zuko let the spyglass drop to his side, much the way Sokka had only a moment ago. The banished prince's voice was grim when he replied.

"Azula's reinforcements."

By now, the air was filled with drifting ash, and it blew about them in the wind like a small flurry of black snow.

"How many ships?" asked Iroh quietly as he looked at his nephew, but Zuko did not answer and merely handed him the spyglass instead. He looked through it and his heart sank at the sight: ten artillery ships, five heavy battle cruisers, and fifteen transports for troops. There were thirty ships heading their way and they would be there by nightfall.

"This is not good," he said darkly. And no one bothered to quip about what a huge understatement that was.


	4. Ch 4 News

"I don't suppose you could be a little more specific about what we are up against?" inquired Toph awkwardly. Normally she would have made a quip about the fact that she couldn't see what they saw, but knew that now was not an appropriate time for her brusque sense of humor. She could tell by the tension in everyone, and Iroh in particular who was usually very relaxed, that 'bad' only barely began to describe the situation.

"Thirty ships," Iroh stated darkly, "and they will be here by nightfall."

"We need to tell Dad," said Sokka with surprising calm as he started down the hill, and no one spoke as they followed him down to the beach. The other water tribesmen had spotted the ash floating on the wind and were already moving hurriedly through the camp, readying tangle-mines and loading the boats in preparation for battle.

As Sokka and his companions headed toward the makeshift stone ramp to board the war barge, they were startled by a sudden commotion in the air coming from the direction of the river. Turning, they spotted a small blur of white fur zipping through the camp and shrieking in panic. It barreled straight for Sokka and the boy had to throw himself forward onto the ground to avoid a collision. Katara jumped aside with her hand falling instinctively to her water skin while Zuko stumbled backward toward Iroh, flinging his arms wide as if to protect the older man. Toph ducked down with a yelp and threw her hands over her head. She was completely unable to see or locate the unidentified flying object, but she could tell by the noise that it was very close, and figured it was dangerous based on the reactions of her friends. It took her half a heartbeat to realize she recognized that sound.

"Momo!" shouted Aang in alarm, as he tried to determine what had his faithful pet in such a fright. His unspoken question was answered a second later as a much larger creature blasted through the group following the same trajectory as the lemur. It barely missed a recovering Sokka as it clipped the young warrior's ponytail, forcing him off balance and back down to the earth with a thud.

Aang was the first to react. With amazing speed, he darted a few steps after it, snapping his arms forward and then back to bend the air out from beneath the large bird's wings, effectively holding it in place midair. The creature screeched with shock and rage when it suddenly realized it was no longer moving forward. As it tried to beat its wings to break free, Katara sent a stream of water around the bird, freezing the liquid surrounding its body and encasing all but the head in ice while Aang gently lowered it to the ground on a cushion of air.

As everyone else began to recover their senses, Momo circled back and landed in front of his pursuer, mocking it now that it was rendered flightless. The brown and black eagle, which was almost twice Momo's size, snapped its curved beak in reply, forcing the tiny lemur to squeak in terror as he made a beeline for the safety of Toph's head where he peeked tentatively over the earth-bender's hair.

By now, the startled group had gathered around the bird for a closer look. Zuko had seen birds like this before and so he shouldn't have been surprised to catch the glint of red and black shimmering through the frozen cocoon over the bird's body. He bent down to get a closer look and his stomach did an odd flop as his suspicions were confirmed.

"Uncle," he called with quiet urgency, motioning for the old man to come. Iroh spotted it too and without a word, he came up behind Zuko as the boy moved aside to let his uncle kneel down next to the bird. Toph, who couldn't make out much of anything about Momo's attacker through the icy bonds that held it, finally voiced her curiosity.

"What is that thing?"

"It's a messenger bird," answered Iroh, and he laid his hand along the eagle's spine, melting away just enough of the ice to reach the leather satchel on its back. The bird twisted its head around to bite the old man, forcing him to yank his hand away.

"An ill-tempered messenger bird," he grumbled ruefully, rubbing his finger as a few drops of blood blossomed. If he'd moved his hand any slower, he'd likely be missing that digit.

Zuko quickly took a small drawstring pouch from his belt, dumping its meager contents to the ground as he knelt in front of the eagle. He dangled his empty hand out tauntingly in front of the bird's beak and when it dashed forward to bite him, he used his other hand to slide the bag swiftly over the creatures head, pulling the strings firmly but not too tightly around its neck. Iroh spared his nephew a quick glance that was both impressed and amused before reaching down to open the message case.

"Nicely done, nephew," Iroh remarked mildly as he pulled the papers forth. "I'm sure you wish you could have used that trick on your sister once or twice."

"More times that you'll ever know," Zuko grumbled dourly.

Sokka looked over at his own sister with a grin and opened his mouth to make a witty comment.

"Don't even say it," Katara snapped threateningly as she shot him a dark look.

"What?" he cried innocently. "How do you know I wasn't going to say something about _his_ sister?" and he pointed at Zuko.

"Oh, I don't know," she replied sweetly, "maybe because you're _my _brother and I _know better,_" she finished wryly. At this, Sokka's bottom lip jutted forward into a pout as his eyebrows furrowed in indignation. But before the two could resume their bickering, Iroh interrupted, his voice filled with foreboding as his eyes skimmed the pages he held.

"I think the Earth King and his Dai Li agents will be interested in this."

* * *

The Earth King was a nervous wreck. It had been bad enough to discover he'd known nothing of the war that had been raging for a hundred years outside the walls of his city, but the fact that it had been kept a secret from him had left the young ruler completely incompetent in regards to the art of war. And now, here he was with no generals to do the strategizing, no advisors to tell him what to do. All he had were some Dai Li agents who had only a few days ago turned his beloved city over to the enemy, and a water tribesman who was doing his best to bring the bewildered king up to date on what was going on. So when the Avatar and his companions came in with looks on their faces indicating they brought even more bad news, it took all of his royal training not to slump under the table and hide.

Hakoda looked up as they entered the room. One of the other tribesmen had already informed him that a Fire Nation fleet was on its way and a scout had been dispatched to gather more information. The tribe leader addressed the new arrivals.

"There's a fleet of ships on its way here…" he began.

"We know, Dad," Sokka interrupted gently. "We saw them from the cliffs."

"Did you determine how many?" asked Hakoda hopefully, who had yet to hear back from his scout. A part of him was proud of his son's initiative, but he was also fearful for what loomed on the horizon. Iroh was the one who answered.

"Thirty ships. Fifteen are mere transports, and fifteen are…a much greater threat," the retired general stated grimly.

"That's putting it lightly," said Zuko under his breath, but only his uncle heard him.

"How soon will they be here?" inquired Hakoda.

"Nightfall at the latest," came the solemn reply from Iroh. Hakoda sighed heavily.

"That's more than we can handle on our own. We need to retreat from this position."

"If we fall back now, there will be nothing to prevent the Fire Nation from entering the city. Everyone in Ba Sing Se will be at the mercy of Azula's troops, and the lives of these men," Iroh waved a hand toward the three Dai Li agents nearby, "will be forfeit." At this last statement, he laid one of the parchments from the messenger bird's satchel on the table for all to see.

One of the Dai Li agents, a man named Heng and the one who was in command of the regiment sent to return Iroh and Zuko to the Fire Nation, stepped forward to look at the letter. It was addressed to the commander they had been ordered to hand the prisoners over to, and gave instructions for the Dai Li to be disposed of in any way the Fire Nation commander saw fit. After reading through it, he looked over at Zuko.

"Well, if we had any doubts about your claims regarding Azula's treachery, this certainly puts those to rest," he remarked dryly, giving a slight bow of gratitude to the exiled prince; the boy had effectively saved his life and the lives of his men by convincing them to re-establish their loyalty to the Earth King. Zuko merely returned the gesture with a nod of his head, an unspoken 'I told you so' glinting in his eyes.

"But how are we supposed to fight thirty ships?" asked Hakoda. "We have neither the resources nor the time to mount an effective attack."

"You don't need them," stated Aang with cold determination as he stepped forward. "You have the Avatar."

"Aang…" started Katara, but the boy stopped her with a look.

"We can't let those troops into Ba Sing Se," he snapped. "Those people are counting on us to keep them safe, even if they have no real idea of how much danger they are in." He took a deep breath and continued more calmly. "I've handled bigger threats than this already, and have worse battles yet to face. I'm not about to walk away from my duty," he finished quietly.

He scanned the room looking for support, but nearly everyone avoided his eyes. Instead, they looked around at each other uncomfortably, their unspoken doubts hanging in the air like a thick smoke. Aang said nothing else, but he knit his brows in irritation. They didn't think he could help them, and this made him furious. A week ago, no one would have had any misgivings, but now…

"Then that is settled," said Iroh, breaking the tense silence. "But we still need a plan." Aang glanced over at his new fire bending sifu, grateful that _he_ at least still had faith. Iroh caught the look and smiled back at him before turning to Heng.

"What exactly were your orders from Azula, Captain Heng?" asked the old general thoughtfully. Heng looked over at Hakoda uncomfortably before answering as if by rote.

"Dispatch the ships in Chameleon Bay, turn the prisoners over to Commander Huo, and then return to Ba Sing Se."

"Hmm," Iroh mused as he stroked his beard, "then perhaps you should do just that."

"Uncle!" Zuko protested, "Surely, you aren't suggesting they turn us over…"

"Oh no," intervened Iroh, dismissively, "only that they should return to the city as they were instructed."

"Don't you think Azula might be a little suspicious of that?" asked the young man with a hint of sarcasm.

"It would certainly make her worry," Iroh replied with a mischievous smile. Seeing this, Zuko's eyes narrowed slightly as he suddenly caught on to what his uncle was thinking, and a tiny smirk graced the young fire benders lips. He was beginning to like this idea already.

* * *

"So how much longer do we have to stay here?" asked Mai in bored misery, "there's nothing to _do._"

Azula was still checking behind all the tapestries in the small office and she refrained from answering until she was certain that she and her two friends were alone. Finally satisfied that there were no Dai Li agents lurking about, nor any spy holes anywhere in the room, she sat down on a richly cushioned settee and relaxed.

"Not much longer. I've already seen to the demise of the Dai Li sent to take my uncle and brother home, and once the ships arrive with our troops, they will dispose of the agents here. Ba Sing Se will be placed under Commander Huo's care allowing us to find the Avatar and finish what I started."

"But I thought you already killed him," offered Ty Lee meekly, her usual pep oddly absent.

"And in the Avatar state no less," added Mai. "Didn't those guys from the Fire Temple say that would mean no more Avatars….ever?"

"I don't want to take any chances," Azula replied coolly. "If he _is_ dead then I want his body as proof. And if he isn't…" She let her words trail off into a cruel smile. "So cheer up, girls," she continued briskly, "by this time tomorrow, Ba Sing Se will be under the complete control of the Fire Nation with no chance of interference from the Dai Li, and we will be out of this wretched place for good."

"Finally," groaned Mai.

* * *

In the shadows of the ceiling above, a small brick quietly slid back into place. After all, earth benders didn't need permanent spy holes. 


	5. Ch 5 Loyalty

What had started off as a good plan suddenly came crashing down around Zuko. He cursed his own naivety, and found himself once again at war with his sense of loyalty and honor. How could he be so stupid as to think he would not have to face his own people, to go openly against everything he stood for, everything he believed in? Join with the Avatar and fight his father to get his throne back, sure. But could he really fight his own Nation? Could he really harm, possibly even kill the very people he had always sworn to defend? Wasn't trying to protect a regiment of soldiers the very thing that led to his scarring and banishment in the first place? And if he spoke out now, would he meet with a similar punishment? His chest tightened with the weight of his questions, his head ached from the pounding blood rushing in his ears, and he suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

At last, he couldn't take it anymore. His head was spinning with confusion and he had to get away before he suffocated under the yoke of his doubts. Without a word, he stalked out of the cabin.

* * *

Toph had been 'watching' the banished prince with interest while Hakoda, Heng, Iroh, and Sokka hammered out a strategy for defeating the approaching Fire Navy ships. She could feel his blood pressure rise, the quickening of his heart rate, and the tension of his muscles. She nudged Aang ever so gently to get his attention, and waited until she felt his head incline toward her so she could whisper without anyone else hearing.

"Zuko," was all she said.

Aang looked over at the young fire bender, and saw what Toph was referring to; Zuko's brows were knit with worry and anger, his lips set in a thin line of attempted self-control, and his fists were clenched tightly at his sides. He seemed to be struggling with the simple act of breathing. No one else noticed the ex-prince slip quietly out the door and Aang stared for a while at the place where Zuko had been standing until the finality of Hakoda's voice ultimately snapped Aang back to the conversation at hand.

"Then let's get to work. We have a lot to do and time is short."

As the Earth King headed off with Captain Heng to get a change of clothes, and Hakoda conversed with his two children, Aang snuck off to find Zuko. Toph was about to follow when Iroh's hand alighted gently on her shoulder. He didn't say anything, and really, he didn't need to; Toph understood that Iroh felt Aang and Zuko needed to talk alone. And after she thought about it a moment, she decided he was probably right, for she had noticed a couple of times during the discussion that the Fire Nation Prince wasn't the only one who was having trouble accepting the battle plan. Abandoning her idea of knocking some sense into the two, she merely sighed silently and inclined her head toward the old general.

"So, how about some tea?"

* * *

Aang stood on the deck of the war barge and scanned the camp for Zuko. He wasn't that hard to find and Aang made his way over to where the prince was sitting on a small outcropping of stones extending a short distance out into the water. These were, in fact, the same rocks that unknown to Aang, Katara had retreated to a mere hour ago.

While not entirely sure what had upset the banished prince, Aang felt he had a pretty good idea. If he knew anything at all about the Fire Nation Prince, it was that Zuko's honor and his loyalty to his country meant everything. So it only stood to reason that flying in the face of that was taking its toll on the young man. And oddly enough, Aang knew exactly how his former enemy felt, if for slightly different reasons.

As he drew nearer, the young Avatar noticed that Zuko's back was rigid, his legs folded in a meditative position, and his still clenched fists resting in his lap. Coming up next to the banished prince, Aang sat down, tucking his knees up under his chin.

"Are you ok?" asked Aang quietly, looking at the unmarred half of Zuko's face. His question was met by a slight shift of golden eyes in his direction before gliding back to horizon. This seemed to be all the time it took for Zuko to consider his answer.

"No," he responded flatly.

"Me either," Aang murmured as he set his head on his knees, casting his gaze out over the water. When Zuko remained silent, the young air bender continued. "I never knew this would be so hard. I mean, I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but…" he fell silent and merely ended the statement with a sigh.

"How many of those men," Zuko tossed one hand abruptly out toward the water, indicating the unseen ships on the horizon, hidden by the curvature of the earth at that level, "may not see the sun tomorrow?" Despite his inner turmoil, his voice was calm, almost regretful.

"I don't know," the young boy replied, the words cracking like broken glass.

At the sound of Aang's obvious pain, Zuko turned his head to look at the Avatar and was stunned by his own sympathy at the sight. All of the anguish, confusion, and inner struggle, which even now tore through Zuko's heart, revealed itself with unabashed simplicity on Aang's face. For the first time, Zuko had some inkling of what a horrible burden being the Avatar must be, and realized to his surprise that in this respect the two had much more in common that he would have ever imagined. He was utterly speechless at the discovery.

"Fighting in this war goes against everything the monks ever taught me," Aang stated, once again in control of his voice. "The world I left didn't have this kind of conflict; everyone got along. But all that changed while I was gone and nothing is the way it's supposed to be. It's my responsibility to fix that."

"Is there really no other way?" asked Zuko quietly.

"Don't you think I'd try if there were?" Aang retorted hotly with a glare at the fire bender, who only looked away in shame for having asked the question. There was a moment of silence before the troubled boy continued softly as both of them returned to staring out at the ocean, "I don't like this any more than you do, but unlike you, I don't have any choice."

"What makes you think I do?" he asked evenly. "I'm a fugitive in every nation of the world. Choices are rather slim for me these days."

"Zuko," Aang started soberly, "you don't have to fight this battle with us. The fact that you've helped us this far is enough; and more than anyone could have ever asked of you."

"And what would you have me do then?" Zuko inquired distantly. "Stand by idly, and do nothing to try and stop my ruthless sister? I can't do that either."

Aang laid his chin back down on his knees as he pondered the dilemma. It was odd how much comfort he drew from the fact that he and Zuko were both conflicted over what had to be done, how similar their burdens seemed to be. Strangely enough, the almost cliché situation of misery enjoying company gave him unexpected courage and confidence as he came to a decision. He was the Avatar after all, and he would do his best to make sure no one would be seriously hurt in the forthcoming battle, not even the Fire Nation. Of course, that didn't help Zuko much. So he mulled over all the things that had happened in the course of the past two days, and eventually remembered the remark Zuko had made about Azula constantly causing him grief. An idea suddenly dawned on him and he lifted his head to look at his old foe turned ally, a glimmer of hope brushed lightly across his youthful features.

"Well," he began slowly, "you _could_ always return to Ba Sing Se with the Dai Li and help them restore the Earth King to the throne." Zuko didn't reply, but instead slid his eyes sidelong to regard the air bender as Aang returned his gaze earnestly. "I promise you that I will do everything in my power to ensure that _no one_ is harmed," he said solemnly. When Zuko closed his eyes and nodded his head in acceptance of the pledge, Aang continued almost casually as he looked at the water again.

"And you said yesterday that you wanted to get back at Azula. Do you really want to miss her reaction when her plans fall through? I mean, the look on her face is bound to be _priceless_."

Both boys turned to look fully at one another, their eyebrows raised at the possibilities of the suggestion. Aang's eyes sparkled with humor, and Zuko felt his anger and confusion melt away. Suddenly, he realized just _why _the Avatar's allies were so fiercely loyal; unlike Ozai and Azula, the boy earned it with comradeship instead of fear.

A roguish grin started to bloom between them; Aang's a bright mix of innocence and impishness, while Zuko's was more of a sly smirk tugging at one corner of his lips. And for the space of that moment, both smiles were as authentic and familiar as if the two had been friends for a hundred years.

* * *

"Well, Bosco, how do I look?" asked the Earth King, holding his arms out to show off his new Dai Li accoutrements to his pet bear, who responded by lying down on the rocky beach. King Kuei sighed. He was going to miss his furry companion, but he knew the bear would be safer with the Water Tribe warriors until the kingdom was restored, which hopefully wouldn't take long if all went according to plan.

"It would probably be more convincing without the glasses," said Zuko evenly as he came up beside the Earth King. The Fire Nation Prince was also adorned in Dai Li robes.

"Oh. Good point," agreed Kuei with slight embarrassment at the oversight, and he took them off and slipped them into his robes. Trying to recover, he cleared his throat and asked, "Is it time to go yet?"

"Soon," Zuko replied shortly, and an awkward silence fell between them, only to be broken by a small sigh from the Earth King.

"What a pair we are," he mused, and then smiled sadly at the slight look of bewilderment on the fire bender's face. "Here I stand with the banished prince of the very nation that usurped my throne. A bit ironic, don't you think?"

"Irony seems to be a repeated theme in my life," answered Zuko softly, his voice edged with bitterness. He glanced out over the water and as he did so, noticed Aang and Katara crossing the beach to join them. "And speaking of irony,"he mumbled dryly.

"Sorry it took so long," Aang apologized merrily as he turned to face the Earth King, "We had a little trouble finding something suitable to wear for the guy who lent you his robes. But it's all sorted out now. You guys ready to go?"

"Just waiting for you," Zuko said offhandedly, and turned to head up the ramp to the barge. He was stopped by the sudden appearance of Momo on his shoulder. Startled, he looked over at the lemur, only to have the tiny creature grab his mouth.

"What the..?!"

"Momo!" admonished Aang, "Sorry, Zuko, he does that when he wants something to eat." And the boy started fetching about in his pockets.

"I already fed him once today," Zuko muttered under his breath, but still loud enough for everyone to hear.

Katara's eyes went wide in surprise. Did Zuko just say he fed Momo? It hardly seemed like him to do anything like that. She shook her head, certain she had heard him wrong, but Aang was laughing as he spared Zuko further probing from the little pet by offering a piece of fruit to Momo.

"Well, _that _was a mistake," he giggled, "now he'll _never _leave you alone."

"Wonderful," the teen said as he rolled his eyes, but a flicker of a grin betrayed his mask of annoyance before he turned to continue up the ramp, with Aang and the King following after him. Katara came along last, pondering the odd sense of kinship that she had just witnessed flitting for barely an instant between Aang and Zuko, and she couldn't help but shake her again as if trying to brush away the confusing sight. Surely, her eyes were playing tricks on her.

* * *

Appa was already on the deck of the war barge, conserving his energy for the hard flight he would have to make to get Aang and Katara back to the bay before nightfall. As Zuko and the others boarded, the huge bison let out a low groan of salutation.

"This should be a nice treat for you, buddy," Aang chimed happily to his shaggy friend, "it's not everyday _you_ get to go for a ride." When the air bison let out a more petulant moan, Aang replied in full understanding, "I know, but you'll be airborne soon enough. Until then, just relax. You'll need all your strength to get us back in time."

And with that, he moved toward the bow of the ship to stand near Katara.

As the barge started to move forward, the Avatar and the water bender began rotating their arms, pushing and pulling the water beneath the ship to carry it faster than the engines could manage on their own. Entering the canyon of the river, the ship passed by Toph and the two newly attired Dai Li agents stationed on the top of the cliff. When the war barge was a safe distance up the river, the three took their stances and with a powerful motion performed in perfect unison, they sealed the canyon shut with a thundering wall of stone.


	6. Ch 6 Worry

Once the ship was underway, Zuko had no idea what to do with himself. They were going far too fast for him to feel comfortable down in the ships hold, but there wasn't anything to do up on deck except pace…and there was precious little room for that with Appa occupying most of the area. So he stood at the railing watching the canyon walls rush by, gripping the bar as much to steady himself as to try and calm his frayed nerves. His knuckles were turning white under the force of his grasp and seeing this, he growled in frustration, willing himself to relax. He took a deep breath and tried to focus on just what had him so riled.

Surely, things couldn't be as bad as he was making them out to be. So he was going back to face his insane and bloodthirsty sister, with what he _hoped_ were people loyal to the Earth King. And he was leaving his uncle behind to face thirty ships manned by trained Fire Nation soldiers, safeguarded only by the promise of a twelve-year-old boy that no one would be hurt. Ok, maybe things _were_ as bad as they seemed.

Desperately trying to shake these thoughts away, he glanced over at Aang, and his brow furrowed as he noticed that the boy did _not_ look well. He was still moving his arms about to bend the water, but his pace was lagging behind Kataras and his skin was pale. Looking more closely, Zuko could see the beads of sweat trickling down the side of Aang's face as his legs trembled. A few long strides carried him over to the Avatar.

"Aang?" he said hesitantly, not bothering to hide his concerned tone. The boy didn't respond, but Katara turned around at the sound of Zuko's voice.

At first, she was startled to hear him speaking, and then surprised to realize he called Aang by his given name. But then she caught the anxious look on Zuko's face and finally noticed _why_ he had spoken. She gasped.

"Aang!"

This finally broke the boy's concentration, and as soon as he stopped, he pitched forward. Before Katara could even move toward him, Zuko had already caught Aang and steadied him back on his feet. Scowling as she hurried over, she practically brushed Zuko aside to stand next to her young friend, one arm falling protectively on the Avatar's shoulder.

"I knew this was a bad idea," she fretted. "You're still not well enough to be doing this much work."

"Katara, I'm okay," insisted Aang weakly, "I'll have time to rest later."

"Not if you collapse first," interjected Zuko soberly. This earned him a sharp look from Katara, as if she didn't feel it was his place to have an opinion. But when she noticed that the fire bender's attention was fixed solely on Aang with what looked like genuine worry, the glare was gone as quickly as it had come and her voice reflected none of it when she spoke again.

"Zuko's right. You need to rest for a bit." And with that, she led him over to Appa and eased him down onto the bison's soft side, relieved that Aang was too weak to put up much resistance.

"Alright, but only for a few minutes," he acquiesced. With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes, and was instantly asleep.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Zuko, and as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized what a stupid question that was, and the fury in Katara's eyes as she glanced at him from where she knelt by Aang confirmed it. He winced and looked away from her glare as he remembered the lightning blast the Avatar had received from Azula only three days ago. It stood to reason that the boy was still suffering the effects. He fully expected the water bender to yell at him, but instead, she took a deep breath before answering quietly.

"There was only so much I could do for him. The wound is healed, but what he really needs is a few days of rest. Unfortunately, we haven't had the chance to relax yet."

Katara had bit back her original harsh retort to the question, having reminded herself that she'd promised to be nice to Zuko and give him a chance. Of course, that was starting to get easier as her former enemy had thus far shown nothing but courtesy and, dare she say it, _concern_ for Aang and even her for that matter ever since he had returned that morning and surprised them all with the newly aligned Dai Li. The sound of Zuko's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"We've slowed down too much," he frowned. Then looking at her asked, "Do you think you can keep bending by yourself until we reach the lake?"

"Yes, but it won't be as fast without him," she said rising to her feet again. Zuko only nodded and started heading toward the ship's hold.

"Where are you going?" she asked. He paused and looked over his shoulder.

"To see if I can speed up the engines and give you some help," and with that, he disappeared below deck, leaving Katara staring after him in bewilderment.

* * *

Momo sailed over the mouth of the river where the water tribe warriors lurked on the cliffs staying hidden from any telescopic lenses the Fire Navy may be pointing their way. He'd given up on getting any more treats and resigned himself to just flying around. Crossing the river to the other bank, he let the air carry him across a small grassy plain sandwiched between the cliffs and a vast forest that spread across the land all the way back to Ba Sing Se. As he lingered over the open field, something caught his eye and, naturally curious, he headed straight for it.

* * *

A lone teenaged girl staggered out of the woods, dressed in little more than an under-tunic and a pair of baggy breeches, without even a pair of shoes to protect her bruised feet. Her clothes were ragged and singed in several places, and the makeshift bandages covering her arms and parts of her legs were falling into disarray. She hardly looked able to wield the sword strapped to her side, and the elegant gold rod tucked neatly into her rope belt seemed very out of place.

As the ocean breeze struck her face, she breathed a sigh of relief. She was almost there. Unfortunately, the several days' long march so soon after her nearly deadly encounter with three Fire Nation warriors had had taken a heavy toll on her. With a groan, she sank to her knees. The last thing she saw before darkness claimed her were a pair of green eyes.

* * *

Sokka was running out of things to do. The camp had been cleared, and the water tribe ships were sailing around to the other side of the natural jetty which half circled the bay where they would be hidden from the approaching Fire Nation ships. The only thing the group could do now was sit and wait for night to fall so they could spring their attack.

As long as he was busy he didn't have to worry, didn't have to wonder. So long as he could keep his mind occupied, he could hold the thoughts of Suki comfortably at bay. But now, for the first time in three days, Sokka had nothing to distract him.

After walking around the various groups of warriors gathered here and there along the bluff and having no luck of pushing his fears aside, he took to pacing near Iroh and Toph who were chatting over tea. He nervously strode back and forth behind them, oblivious to their conversation, and therefore he didn't catch the rising irritation in Toph's voice.

"Ok, Snoozles, you can stop pacing now," she called, but there was no answer.

"He's not listening to me is he?" she remarked to Iroh.

"I don't think he is," he said humorously. Grumbling at this, she decided to switch tactics.

"Sokka," she called sweetly, hoping the use of his real name would get his attention: still nothing.

"Ok, that's _it_!" she growled, and she gracefully brushed her fingers across the ground with a light twist of her wrist.

A satisfied smirk lit up her face as he yelped and fell backward with his feet rooted into the ground. He pulled frantically at his legs, and when that didn't work, he started chipping away at the ground with his boomerang to try and pry them loose. After a few seconds of this, he gave up and struggled back into a standing position.

"Toph…" he said mildly.

"Yes, Snoozles?"

"Can I have my feet back please?" he sang out politely.

"Will you promise to stop pacing?" she asked back. When he didn't respond except by crossing his arms, she flicked her hand again, sinking him to his knees.

"Alright! Alright! I'll stop pacing!"

She grinned at her little victory and released him, causing the ground to spit him out as though he were a bad taste in the earth. He landed with his butt in the air and his face in the dirt. He dusted himself off as he stood and then sat down across from Toph and Iroh, dropping his chin into his hand as he sulked at the teapot.

"Ok, Meathead, spill." The tone of Toph's voice indicated it wasn't a request. When he still didn't say anything, she let loose a heavy sigh: time to try yet another tactic.

"I'm worried about them too," she said softly. At this, his head popped up in surprise, but before he could say anything, Iroh interrupted.

"About who?" he asked, "Avatar Aang and Katara?"

"No," she said shaking her head slightly, "the Kyoshi Warriors…and Suki." Sensing his query, she went on to explain, "Your niece and her freaky friends got into Ba Sing Se disguised as them."

Understanding dawned on him and it was plain to Iroh that they expected the worst, so he did his best to try and assuage their fears.

"Azula can be very cruel, but I don't think she would do them any serious harm."

"Even _you_ don't believe that," Toph said knowingly. The old man grinned in spite of himself, as he realized she 'saw' through his white lie.

"I can see that it will be very difficult to keep a secret from you," he said lightly as he stroked his beard.

"Yup," she replied with a small smirk, "the all-seeing, all-knowing Toph."

"Not all seeing and all knowing enough," Sokka added glumly.

Toph simply sighed. For once, she had no witty retort. She had to admit that sitting around was getting to her too. If they had Appa, they could be looking for the missing girls and at least be _doing_ something about their worries. But of course, with those ships coming in, it would be a pretty stupid move. Appa was big and could easily be spotted, giving away their presence, and the element of surprise was the only thing they had going for them in the upcoming battle.

The three of them were still lost in their private thoughts when a familiar white blur zipped around their heads, chattering loudly. It landed on Sokka's skull and looked over the teen's forehead, staring into his face.

"Not now, Momo," he said dolefully, "I'm not in the mood."

But Momo was bound and determined to get the boy's attention. The next thing Sokka knew, his head was being rapped upon by something hard.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" he cried as he tried to duck his head between his shoulder blades, flailing his arms until he successfully knocked the offending creature off. Once Momo was in front of him, Sokka threw the little lemur a hard glare. But then he spotted what Momo had been using to beat him with and his eyes flew wide in shock. He snatched the object away from the lemur and held it up. Mesmerized, he turned it over in his hand once, twice, and then slowly let half of it fall away to reveal an open fan…the golden fan of a Kyoshi Warrior.


	7. Ch 7 Reunions

Sokka was on his feet in an instant, while Toph and Iroh got up a little more slowly, neither fully realizing the significance of what Sokka held. Toph hadn't been able to get a full sense of what it was, and Iroh only saw a simple fan. As Sokka started to run off, Toph hurried after him, a confused Iroh close behind.

Momo flew ahead, leading them across the newly made dam to the other side of the river. Iroh spared a quick glance at the water steadily rising on one side and nodded in satisfaction while he maintained his pace behind the others. As they traversed the open field, Toph tried to find out what was going on.

"Sokka, where are we going?" she panted. But he only continued his almost frantic run with no reply.

As they neared a line of trees, Sokka's pace slowed for a moment in fear and shock and Toph finally sensed the presence of a huddled female figure lying on the ground. The girl's breathing and heartbeats were faint, but she was alive. Suddenly Toph stopped in surprise as she realized that she knew that girl. It was…

"Suki!" Sokka gasped, rushing to kneel at her side. He was all but sobbing as he lifted her head from the ground and murmured, "Please, please don't be…"

"Don't worry, she's not," Toph reassured promptly, coming up next to him. "She's just unconscious."

Iroh bent down and quickly looked over her injuries. Through the unraveling bandages, he could see that her arms and legs were badly burned, her feet were bruised and caked with blood from small cuts and scrapes, and her left knee was swollen and purple. Other than that, she just seemed exhausted.

"Her wounds are not life threatening," he stated calmly, "she just needs to rest and heal. Let's get her back to the others." And with that, he and Sokka started to lift her between them.

As they pulled her upright, her eyes flew open momentarily and she let out a cry of pain. The two men winced simultaneously, and then staggered as she slumped into unconsciousness once again. Realizing this just wouldn't do, Toph responded by raising a rectangular chunk of grassy earth and pushed it lightly over to them with a delicate flick of her fingers.

"Lay her down on that."

Ever so carefully, they eased the injured girl onto the platform and walked alongside it as Toph carefully guided them all back to the camp.

* * *

_Breath in, focus, release. Breath in, focus, release_. With each intake of breath, Zuko pulled his arms to his chest, holding the air for a moment before pushing his arms out and turning his body to the side, sweeping the hot flames into the ship's boiler as he shifted his weight through the stance. It wasn't exactly a typical fire bending form, but then, this wasn't really a combat situation. This particular need required endurance, and the easy, fluid motion helped him conserve his energy, allowing him to keep the engine running at incredible speed for the prolonged period of time.

He had no idea how long he'd been at this, and really didn't concern himself over it. For the first time all day, he felt calm, and that was a blessing. _Breath in, focus, release_. It was soothing, much like meditation, but with a purpose and effect beyond the stilling of his troubled mind. He felt _useful_, and that was important to him right now. As he continually repeated his movements in an almost trance-like stupor, he failed to notice that he was no longer alone in the room.

"We've reached the lake," Katara informed him, "you can stop now."

Zuko glanced over his shoulder as he pulled the air into his lungs and his arms to his chest. He nodded slightly and, not wanting to waste the breath and the energy he had drawn with it, let one final blast of fire flow into the boiler.

Katara looked at him curiously. There was something about the way he had been moving that was familiar and she'd fought Zuko enough times to know that wasn't a standard fire bending technique. It was almost like…

"Where did you learn that?" she asked with a hint of suspicion. He paused for a moment in confusion before he understood what she meant by the question, and then hesitated only briefly before responding.

"Watching you," he replied simply.

Her eyes grew slightly wider. Watching her? Why would he have been watching her? _When_ had he been watching her?

As he answered, Zuko had bent down to pick up the Dai Li hat he had set aside earlier along with his swords and was putting the kasa on his head when he caught the expression of worry and alarm on her face. It suddenly occurred to him that what he had said could be taken the wrong way and, judging by the look that she was giving him, she had done just that. So as he busied himself with collecting his twin dao and sliding them back into their sheath, he calmly explained.

"You're one of the worthier opponents I've faced. I'd be a poor excuse for a warrior if I never learned anything from our encounters."

She relaxed somewhat at the logic in his words. After all, she had learned much from fighting with him as well. Still, she couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious about it nonetheless. They left the room without further discussion and were halfway back to the main deck when Zuko spared her a quick look.

"How is Aang?" he asked quietly, with an obvious note of concern in his voice.

For some reason that she couldn't quite explain, his question annoyed her. Hearing her best friend's name fall so casually from Zuko's lips seemed odd to say the least, but the fact that he cared at all made her feel…well she wasn't sure how she felt about it. But she pushed her irritation aside to answer with as much kindness as she could muster.

"He's still resting."

Zuko only nodded as they continued to the deck in silence. Once out into the sunlight, he noticed with satisfaction that they'd made excellent time. He could see the massive walls of the city in the distance across the water, and hoped that no one of importance would spot the flying bison when Aang and Katara left to fly back to the bay. All of the serenity he had felt while firing the boiler started to slip away as fear, doubt, and anxiety crept its way back to the forefront of his mind. Vainly, he tried to force those feelings back into nothingness as he hovered nearby the people he once hunted. Katara knelt down next to Aang, and gently shook him.

"Aang," she called softly, "Aang, wake up." The boy fluttered his eyes drowsily.

"Sorry," he mumbled, "I didn't mean to fall asleep. Let's get back to work."

"It's ok, Aang," she said gently, "We're already there." This time is eyes popped open.

"What?!" he shouted as he bolted upright. He glanced up at the sky, thinking that it was way too early in the day for them to have made it that far. He rose to his feet and looked out at the lake and the city walls beyond.

"Where are…? How did we…?" he stammered, before furrowing his brow in irritation. "Why did you let me sleep the whole way?!" Katara opened her mouth to answer, but Zuko beat her to it.

"You needed the rest."

"But, how did we get here so fast?" Aang puzzled, looking around in confusion. This time Katara replied.

"Zuko super-heated the engine to make us go faster while I used my water bending," she explained as she got to her feet.

Aang finally relaxed, and couldn't repress his grateful smile at Katara. She really was staying true to her promise and giving Zuko every chance to prove his worth. Katara seemed to understand the thought behind her friends grin, and nodded her head slightly as she returned with a faint smile of her own; the silent 'thank you', and 'you're welcome' passing between them in the space of a breath.

Too fixed on the rapidly approaching city and the ominous knot twisting in his stomach, Zuko didn't even notice their unspoken conversation.

"You need to get going," he reminded them with a coolness that belied his disquiet, "it wouldn't do for you to be seen from the wall."

"Right," agreed Aang and he leapt on a current of air to Appa's head, leaning over to pull Katara up beside him. He was about to snap the reins and give his large companion the command to fly when Zuko spoke.

"Avatar," he said formally, and then paused as he looked at Aang earnestly. All his hopes of going home had rested on this boy for three years, and even though the nature of Zuko's return had changed, the source of his salvation had not.

"Be careful," Zuko said with sincerity, and he pressed his hands together at his chest as he gave a short bow before looking back up at the Avatar.

Aang returned the gaze and gave a slight but meaningful bow in reply from where he sat.

"You too, Prince Zuko," he replied with equal ceremony. And with a light 'yip yip' and no further ado, Appa rose into the afternoon sky.

* * *

Long shadows stretched across the ground as Appa landed a good distance from the camps; they didn't want to risk being seen in the air. Katara looked over towards the river and was pleased to note that it was over halfway up the canyon wall and she could see the water from where she was. The makeshift reservoir had done its job well.

As she and Aang neared the camp, she heard Toph announce their arrival. The next thing she knew, Sokka had all but tackled her and started dragging her back to the site.

"Sokka, what are you doing? What's wrong?"

"We found Suki and she needs healed," he said in a rush. Despite her surprise at the news, Katara picked up her pace and hurried alongside him.

Kneeling down next to her injured friend, Katara looked her over carefully to asses the damage. The burns were extensive, but could have been much worse. At any rate, she would need more water to take care of them and said as much. Aang hurried off to get more. The knee looked problematic, and she carefully probed it, hoping the kneecap wasn't broken; it was still intact but definitely displaced. Despite Katara's attempt to be extremely gentle, Suki gasped awake when her knee was touched.

"Sorry Suki," Katara flinched, "Just hang in there, I'm going to try and fix this." And with that, the healer set to work.

As the intense throbbing in her knee subsided, Suki's head finally cleared enough to take stock of her surroundings. It took her a moment to remember where she had been and what she was doing before she blacked out, but it all came back to her in a rush. She launched upright, startling everyone.

"Azula! We have to warn Ba Sing Se, she ambushed us and…"

"We know, Suki," Sokka said gently, laying an arm on her shoulder. Suki took in a breath, about to sigh in relief, but was stopped when he continued, "She's already taken over Ba Sing Se," he finished sadly.

"Oh no," she whispered in horror, and then remembered her other news.

"Appa! We found him right before we were attacked! Did he…"

"He's fine," Aang interjected with reassuring smile as he handed Katara another canteen of water, "we got him back. Just relax while Katara heals you and we'll fill you in on everything that's happened."

* * *

The docks lay in darkness as the towering walls of Ba Sing Se cast a foreboding shadow over the city. Nothing had seemed to change; the people hustled and bustled about with no apparent knowledge that their sovereign had been deposed and the princess of the Fire Nation was bringing an army in to subjugate them to her will. Zuko walked alongside the Earth King, both of them hidden within the ranks of the returning Dai Li as they may their way back to the palace.

"This might not be a good plan," Kuei said thoughtfully. Zuko's eyes went wide in shock.

"You're saying this _now_?" he whispered harshly in exasperation, as he threw the king an incredulous look. The Earth King merely returned Zuko's glare with a helpless shrug.

The banished prince growled through gritted teeth and kept walking. He had enough doubts of his own without adding in anyone else's. His heart was pounding painfully in his chest as the entourage entered the throne room and stood before Azula. He kept his head tiled down, hoping the kasa he wore on his head would hide his scar.

The princess scanned the assembly; her eyes narrow with suspicion. They were not supposed to have come back. But when she spoke, her voice was relaxed and filled with authority.

"Well, what have you to report?"

Heng stepped forward and bowed on his knees before addressing the question.

"The Water Tribe threat has been taken care of, Highness," he replied without emotion.

"And the prisoners, they have been delivered?"

"They escaped before we engaged in battle. They have not yet been found but the search continues. We thought it best to report to you for further orders."

Azula pondered this for a moment. So that explains why the Fire Navy didn't do as she had requested; the Dai Li returned instead of meeting them. Still, she was irritated beyond belief that her brother and uncle had escaped, and she intended to show her displeasure. She rose menacingly from the throne and walked down the dais to stand over the prone captain.

"Failure to carry out one's duties is not something I tolerate, Captain."

Her voice was as hard and cold as steel and Heng was visibly shaken. Zuko risked a look at his sister as she summoned a ball of blue flame in her hand, poised and ready to smite the man at her feet. He hadn't been quite sure how she would react to the lie, but it never occurred to him until now how dangerous fooling her might be, and he wasn't about to let it cost someone their life. Raising his head fully and, drawing on what courage he could find, he spoke up.

"That's enough, Azula," he called out more boldly than he felt.

The Dai Li agents gasped and looked in shock at the banished prince; this was _not _part of the original plan. Azula mistook their surprise, thinking that they had not even known he was among them. The flame flickered out, her previous target forgotten. She strode forward, waving her hand to as if to part the sea of people standing between her and her brother and they complied without hesitation.

"Really, I'm not sure which is more amusing," she purred evilly, "the fact that these incompetents allowed you to escape and hide yourself right under their noses, or that you're stupid enough to have wasted your chance to flee only to come back and challenge me. So, tell me brother," she continued in mock sweetness, "where is Uncle?"

"He's not here," he answered evenly, not really answering her question.

"Good," she smirked, "then he won't be around to save you."

Her eyes burned with malice as she launched a jet of azure flame.


	8. Ch 8 Clash

Suki listened in silent shock and sorrow as Sokka and Katara took turns recounting all that had transpired since she had parted ways with her friends. She was healed and fed, but after hearing their tale, she felt hollow.

"This whole situation is my fault," she whispered guiltily. "I should have been able to prevent this."

"Suki," Katara began gently, "you have nothing to blame yourself for. You did what you could, we _all _did. What matters now is that we have a chance to get the city back."

"How? By sending the Fire Nation Prince back there so he can team up with his sister?" The Kyoshi Warrior had been appalled when they divulged this part of the plan to her; and she could tell by the looks on Sokka and Katara's faces that they had misgivings as well.

"He won't betray us," Aang interjected with deadly calm. Everyone looked at the boy with different levels of surprise; Suki, Sokka, and Katara with obvious disbelief, and Iroh and Toph with a hint of satisfaction. Noting this, and the fact that he now had their undivided attention, he continued.

"Zuko knows now that capturing me will never restore what he thinks he's lost. The only way he can get home now is by helping us, and going home to reclaim his birthright matters more to him that anything. Even if I didn't trust _him_, I could trust _that_."

Iroh looked at the young Avatar thoughtfully, not missing the careful way the boy had worded his statement.

"But _you do_ trust him," he said knowingly. Aang looked the old general in the eye for only a moment before turning his steady gaze to his friends.

"Yes. I do." He replied in a confident voice that indicated clearly that his conviction was not to be questioned further. He raked his eyes across the group, most of them averting their eyes apologetically. Only Iroh would look at him, and Toph, although she couldn't _look at_ him, had a smile on her face that let him know she was proud of him for boldly standing by his decision despite the other's opinions.

The approach of one of the Water Tribe warriors broke the tension of the moment, informing them that it was time to move before he headed off toward one of the other camps to spread the news. Everyone got to their feet, and started clearing the site. Suki was collecting her fan and sword and putting them around her waist when Sokka saw her.

"Whoa, what do you think _you're_ doing?" he asked bossily.

"I'm going to help you fight," she answered matter-of-factly, as if the question had been ridiculous; and really, to her it _was_.

"No way," he said stubbornly as he crossed his arms. Suki snapped. With angry determination, she stormed up to him, bringing her face to within an inch of his as she shouted.

"_You _are not the leader of the Kyoshi warriors, _I_ am. And _you_ do not have any say over what _I_ decide to do. So if I tell _you_ that I am coming along to watch _your_ back, then _you_ are just going to have to accept that!"

Each time she said 'you' her fingers jabbed into his chest, pushing him back slightly with each poke and making his jaw drop a little lower in the face of her fury.

Sokka glanced over at his companions in hope of a little support, but he got none. Katara's arms were on her hips as she glared expectantly at her brother, Toph's were crossed and her lips were set in a cold smirk, Aang only grinned with his hands clasped innocently behind his back, and Iroh had one hand to his mouth in an attempt to stifle his laughter. The young warrior's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Fine," he said weakly, and at this, Suki stood up straight and crossed her arms with a triumphant look. But Sokka wasn't to be outdone so easily and he brought forth what little indignation he had left in one final attempt to assert _some_ form of dominance.

"But you aren't fighting dressed like _that_." He looked over her scant clothing briefly, as he tried not to blush. "It's…um…distracting," the boy mumbled.

As the two warriors walked off to find something for the smirking girl to wear, Sokka could hear the previously repressed giggles of his friends erupt into gales of laughter.

* * *

Commander Huo stood calmly at the helm, the crease in his brow the only indication of his growing worry. He had expected a messenger hawk from the Princess but none had arrived yet. As if on cue, a large bird swept into the room and perched on the railing of the open window. One of his officers opened the case on its back to read the missive. 

"Sir, we…may have a problem," the man said hesitantly.

"What does it say, Lieutenant?"

"It's a message demanding our surrender."

"What?!," the commander shouted, as he spun on his heel to face his subordinate. "From whom?" The man looked uncertain and fearful as he answered.

"It's signed by…The Avatar…and…The Dragon of the West…Sir" He stuttered.

The commander snatched the page from the startled Lieutenant and scanned it. He glanced up to see the younger man's eyes fixed in horror on the observation window, and Huo's face turned pale as he heard a strange rushing sound coming from the direction of the river. Slowly he turned to look out over the front of the ship and the blood in his veins turned to ice as he saw a massive wall of water looming over his fleet.

* * *

Zuko saw the blast heading his way and was ready for it. He latched onto the fire with a force of will and spun with it, pulling it around his body and back around to launch it at his sister. _Defense into offense,_ he thought to himself wryly, and was pleased at the shocked expression on his sister's face as her own blue flames came hurtling toward her. 

She dodged the hot wave just in time, watching as it blasted part of the dais behind her into rubble, and her surprise darkened for a moment into fury before she reestablished a cold mask of indifference.

"Interesting technique, brother," she sneered cruelly as she turned to face him again, "Are you really so out of touch with your roots that you've forgotten how to fire bend properly? Not that you were ever good at it to start with."

As if to prove her wrong, he sent out a volley of fire blasts from his fists in rapid succession, enraged at her casual reminder that she had always been the better bender. She blocked each attack with almost dismissive waves her hands, flicking the flames aside like bothersome flies before sending a round back at him as she spoke.

"And just what do you think you will do if by some _miracle_ you manage to defeat me?" she hissed. "Father would rather turn the Fire Nation over to a hog-monkey before he'd let you get anywhere _near _the throne."

"I don't expect him to _hand_ it to me, Azula," he replied grimly once he had dodged and dissipated her barrage, breathing hard from the exertion.

"Oh really?" she half-laughed, "And who's going to help you take it by force? The Avatar?" she simpered mockingly.

A cold smile crept across her face as he paled in reaction to her words. The almost tortured yell that escaped his lips as he fired at her again confirmed that she was indeed getting to him. _Too easy _she thought, splitting the flames to fall harmlessly to either side and then moving forward to press her new advantage.

"You're more of an idiot than I thought, Zuzu," the girl snarled mercilessly.

"Do you honestly think that if _you_ were to take the throne that _any_one in the Fire Nation would swear loyalty to a spineless, untalented, honor-less, e_xile_?"

Each of the last four words she spoke pierced through Zuko like poisoned blades, causing his resolve to falter, little by little. But it was the painful possibility that she might be right about no one accepting him as Fire Lord that finally made him pause for barely an instant.

Unfortunately, that fraction of a second was all the hesitation she needed to strike, and before he could shake off the terrible effect of her speech, a powerful wall of flame sent him rocketing backwards several feet before he crashed to the ground with a loud groan.

* * *

Katara's arms were trembling under the exertion of holding so much water at bay below them and she could see it was straining Aang as well. As a red flare rose up from the lead vessel, she called out hopefully to Iroh sitting behind them on Appa's back. 

"Is that the one?"

"No, it's not the signal for surrender, only an order for all ships to halt. We want the white flare," he answered. "We'll have to proceed with the next phase."

Nodding, the two benders let the wave fall; splitting it into two halves and guiding them as gently as they could to push the ships back out into the bay away from the river so that only the command ship remained. Aang had insisted that they not capsize any of the ships. The metal crafts spun wildly in the onslaught of water, banging against each other as if they were mere twigs caught in a riptide.

From around the horn of the bay came the Water Tribe fleet, sped along by the handful of water benders Hakoda had among his warriors. With amazing agility, they came up alongside the nearer half of the out-of-control navy, as the tribesmen lobbed clay bombs loaded with stink gas onto the decks of the Fire Nation vessels.

Appa soared down to the lead ship allowing Iroh, Toph, Sokka, and Suki to slide off before taking to the air once more with Katara and Aang. Seeing the water tribe ships already occupying half of the Fire Nation fleet, Aang turned his attention to the other half. He steered the huge bison in a spiral around the ships, as he and Katara bent the water along with them into a huge whirlpool. Both of them hoped it would keep the ships out of commission until Iroh and the others secured the commander's surrender.

* * *

Commander Huo's fear and dismay from watching his entire fleet get swept back out sea soon changed to outrage when he saw the meager force that boarded his ship; an old man and three teens. Without a second thought, he ordered his men to attack as he made his way to down to the deck. 

As the soldiers came out, Toph stepped in front of her companions.

"Me first," she said with a grin.

She slammed her foot down and threw her arms out in front of her, fingers spread wide as a shockwave rippled out from beneath her. Dumbfounded, the advancing troop was thrown down as the metal deck rose and then buckled under their feet.

"Your turn, General," the girl called out pleasantly as she stepped off to the side once more.

"Retired General," he reminded her sagely.

"Yeah, yeah," she grinned.

Iroh chuckled at the girl and waited until the men started to stand back up before shooting a long stream of flame straight down the middle of them, forcing them to scurry toward either side of the deck. Sokka sent his boomerang around the group on the left, the rope attached to it circling smartly around them as it returned to his waiting hand. Suki pulled on the opposite end of the cord and together they bound the whole lot of them into one big pile.

Meanwhile Toph had grabbed the metal rail on the other side, and with a mighty pull, ripped the bar from its anchor pins. Another swift jerk of the metal had the length of it snapping from the hull of the ship as it was whipped up and then yanked down in front of the remaining soldiers. With one last tug, she secured them helplessly to the side.

When Commander Huo reached the deck, his face fell in horror at the sight that greeted him. All of his men were pinned to the sides of the ship and the floor of the deck was bent and cracked in places. And there in the middle of the destruction stood the Dragon of the West, his hands tucked neatly into his sleeves.

"Now, commander," the old mad said genially, "about that surrender."

With one last look at his bound men, and seeing his fleet scattered and spinning in the bay, he motioned for the helmsman to light the white flare before kneeling in surrender. The battle was over.

* * *

Zuko lay in a heap on the floor, his robes smoldering from the heat of near combustion as his sister walked languidly over to stand a few feet from him. He struggled to rise, but could only barely prop his body up off the floor with his arms. 

"Father had wanted the pleasure of killing you himself," she crooned icily, "but I think even _he_ would agree that letting you live until you get home is asking for far more trouble than it's worth."

Zuko was beaten and he knew it. Bitterly he realized that everything he had done and anything he hoped for was completely pointless, and for the second time in two days, the banished prince had resigned himself to death. As Azula began to charge the air around her to form lightning, he closed his eyes and waited for the strike that would finally end his misery. It never came.

Instead, the ground beneath Azula's feet suddenly shot up, throwing the girl backwards as the lightning crackled around her in a premature release. Zuko turned his head to observe what had transpired, and saw Captain Heng standing behind the princess with his fist raised in the air. As he dropped his hand back to his side, the floor settled back into place and several of the Dai Li agents pinned the young woman to the ground on her hands and knees.

"What is this treachery?!" she shouted in unbridled rage.

By now, Zuko had managed to get back on his feet and he strode over to his sister's prone form, looming over her in much the same fashion as their father had towered over the young prince three years ago.

"It seems I forgot to mention, sister," Zuko began coldly, as he pulled a piece of parchment from his borrowed robes and dropped it to the floor in front of her face, "that your messenger bird flew astray."

Her eyes widened in horror and shock as she glanced over the page and then snapped her head up to look at her brother. For the first time in her entire life, she was truly afraid as her eyes fixed on the flames now dancing in Zuko's raised hand.

He glared down at her, his stony face revealing nothing of the inner turmoil that raged inside him. For one awful moment, he almost let the flames fly into her terrified face, but a single thought stopped him. _Is this what I looked like when my father scarred me?_ He tried desperately to force the thought aside, but the fire in his hand wavered as the memories flooded his mind. 'Never forget you are,' his mother's last words echoed. _But who AM I?_ He could hear the voice of his uncle in the chamber beneath Lake Laogai. 'Who are you, and what do _you_ want?' _I don't know who I am…but I know what I want, and I know who I am not. I am NOT my father._ At last, he closed his fist, extinguishing the flame. Only when the fire flickered out did Azula manage a sadistic grin.

"You really are _pathetic_," she hissed as the Dai Li hauled her to her feet. "And you will regret not killing me when you had the chance, _brother._ I promise you that."

Zuko stood there for a moment considering her words. She was probably right, but after everything he had been through over the past week, he was just too tired to care at the moment. Instead, he simply returned her wicked smile with passionless eyes.

"Get her out of my sight."

* * *

Mai and Ty Lee peeked out from behind one of the voluminous curtains lining the throne room walls. They had entered in time to see Azula thrown back by the Dai Li's attack, and had ducked into the shadows before anyone had a chance to spot them. As their princess was dragged out of the room, they exchanged worried glances and then slipped away as they heard the captain give orders to search the palace for them. 

Within the hour, they had dispatched Azula's guards and the three girls found themselves fleeing the city through the sewers of Ba Sing Se. By the time the alarm was raised within the palace, the trio had emerged on the shores of the western lake beyond the outer wall.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted," Ty Lee shrugged as she looked back at the city.

"Yeah, but what do we do now?" droned Mai. Both girls turned to Azula.

The princess pondered this for a moment, and when she finally answered, her eyes were burning with such hatred and malice that even her friends were terrified.

"We're going to make sure my brother _never_ makes it home alive."

_fin_

_**

* * *

**_

**Author's Note:** For those who don't know or haven't realized it yet, all of my fan-fictions are formatted to have the feel of an actual episode of 'Avatar: The Last Air Bender'. The 'commercial breaks' fall at the end of the third and sixth story chapters and there will usually only be seven or eight story chapters to each 'episode'.

Please keep in mind that this whole project is merely my way of taking the more common ideas seen in fan-fiction and trying to present them in a fashion that is as true to the real show as I possibly can. I neither expect nor even hope that the real show will turn out as I have written it.

If my stories seem a bit Zuko-centric, it is only because, in my mind, Zuko represents in one person what the entire world is suffering. This symbolism plays a pivotal role in my version of the tale, for as Aang and his friends help Zuko find inner peace and restore his long suppressed benevolent character traits, so too will the world itself be brought back into balance. So you can expect some drastic changes to Zuko's character over time as he comes full circle to the way he was as a child.

I'd also like to make it clear that while I have no devotion to any particular pairings, for this story a strong kinship between Zuko and Katara is a necessary part of Zuko finding balance in his life, and I suspect there have been many hints foreshadowing such a possibility throughout the Avatar canon. Don't get too excited though; there will be no steamy romance (sorry!). I am very committed to remaining true to the show, therefore the characters aren't about to do or say anything that would be unsuitable for a children's cartoon. However, I do intend to write a number of tender moments between not only those two, but the other characters as well. Just don't read too much into them (well, nothing beyond what I _write_ into them, at least).

It's likely my writing will devolve into drabbles once the new season starts up, but I'll just have to play that by ear. In the meantime, I plan to continue this for as long as I have solid ideas for complete 'episodes', even if I wind up skipping an episode or three. I'll do my best to write and release these as chronologically linear as I am able, but let's face it; there is a _reason_ why the real show has more than one writer.

Even though I don't expect a lot of positive response from this endeavor, reviews are greatly appreciated, if for no other reason than to make me feel like all of this is worth my effort (and a little stoking of the ego never hurts _-grin_-).

So please, read, review, and enjoy!


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